A well-known Seattle criminal defense lawyer, John Henry Browne, says he has been retained by a U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 civilians in Afghanistan, the News-Tribune reports.

The unidentified 38-year-old staff sergeant is “from here, and he knows who I am,” said Browne. His new client, not yet criminally charged, is expected to face some kind of military review in a case the lawyer calls “more political than legal.” It appears that Browne may participate in the defense along with a military lawyer who has been appointed to defend the suspect.